Help me choose an alternative vacation plan

[Pura Vida]

FYI: for visiting Tahoe, you can fly into Sacramento (SMF) from Pittsburgh (PIT) easily. (note: I am from SW PA and now live in Sacramento!). If you're doing a road trip, Acadia NP / Bar Harbor, Maine (as mentioned earlier) is perhaps my favorite spot on the east coast.

If you want something different, I'd highly recommend Costa Rica. We have been going there for several years and love it there (hence, my username)!

[ahorsewithnonam]

Since you have kids why not just do a beach vacation Myrtle Beach Daytona Beach Virginia Beach ?

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

...

Aqua Caliente is a a relatively inexpensive place in the mountains outside of Guadlajara...I suppose it is a spa, with hot water pools and massages available, and they serve a healthier version of Mexican cuisine. But you can also spend a day or two in Guadlajara, and can do some nice hikes in the mountains. am not generally a fan of cruises are better than others.

The cruise she has in mind hits the typical Mexican ports of call in the western Caribbean: Cozumel, Costa Maya, Honduras and Belize and she mentioned wanting to visit the Mayan ruins.

Originally Posted by buddyhu

Lots of spas in Calistoga, California (in Napa), which is about a 5 hour drive from Tahoe....could travel to CA, visit family, let her have some time in a spa, etc.

These are two good ideas. She and I did Reno/Tahoe/Yosemite/San Fran/Monterey 22 years ago when we were still dating. While the drive down to Monterey was beautiful ultimately 27 year old me didn't find it all that special. 24 year old her was mad because she couldn't drive the rental car. In the years since, she's acquired a taste for wine and we've gone up to the Niagara wine region many times so Napa is sort of on my bucket list.

...for the same price from the same cruise line (but for more air fare) there's a 7 day western Mediterranean cruise (leaves from Barcelona, next to Naples, then a port near Rome, another port near Florence, Cannes, Majorca and back to Barcelona) that is my personal "bucket list" type of vacation. These are places that I visited when I was in the Navy 30 years ago and have dreamed of revisiting with loved ones.

There's a snowball's chance of it happening though.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by ahorsewithnonam

Since you have kids why not just do a beach vacation Myrtle Beach Daytona Beach Virginia Beach ?

Ironically my mother is about to move closer to us from Virginia Beach. We've visited there many times as well. It's rained every time!

...one time we even had to leave early to flee a hurricane!

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Basalt Beach

Yosemite National Park and stay at either one of these two places. Your children will have plenty to do and your wife will also feel pampered. Both are within ten minutes of the entrance to the park. It is 45 minute drive to the high Yosemite high country and 45 minutes to the Yosemite valley which allows you the option of visiting the iconic views and hikes of both areas. You can fly into SF, Oakland, San Jose on SWA and drive up to Yosemite.

I would suggest booking a guide for a hike, it will be learning experience while you take in breath taking views. The restaurant at the Evergreen is excellent!

Book early as they fill up quickly.

http://www.evergreenlodge.com

or their sister property

https://www.rushcreeklodge.com

This is actually a stop I'd like to make on the RV tour in a few years. The valley can get crowded in the summer but it's a BIG place.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

Did anybody suggest a guitar fest cruise? You know a cruise where people hang out and play the guitar. Then at night they have some guitar playing performers. Check it out there might be such a thing.

LOL, nope! I think she's looking forward to getting away from all my guitars!

[HHP]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

Ironically my mother is about to move closer to us from Virginia Beach. We've visited there many times as well. It's rained every time!

...one time we even had to leave early to flee a hurricane!

Used to go to Sandbridge, VA as a kid. One of the highlights for us was that it was close to Dam Neck NAS and sometimes we would get to sit on the beach and watch F4's doing gun runs on towed targets. Later, I learned F4's came out without guns and they developed a gun pod so I often wonder if we were watching the testing.

My civilian rifle team used to compete against the Dam Neck Navy team every year in January. The Navy called them ""Brass Monkey" matches and my colorful vocabulary expanded when I found out the meaning of the name.

[MikeBmusic]

It sounds like she is set on the cruise idea, and that can be understandable if she wants to have lazy 'stretch out in the sun and drink' and spa days with an occasional port day of doing something different (or shopping). TG my wife doesn't like that kind of vacation! But the point is, you need to work out some priorities/wants (and compromise) before any vacation plans are finalized.

As to the cruise that does a Mayan site - possibly the Belize stop for that? Don't do it from Cozumel or Cancun - you will hustled in buses (enough for the thousand people on your cruise selecting this excursion) to the site and led around in huge packs quickly in the high heat of mid day. Doesn't matter if its Tulum, Chichen Itza (biggest site), Coba or Ek Balaam, its not the ideal way to see the Mexican ruins. I can't comment on Belize, that's still on my bucket list.

We're not cruise people, and have too many places on our bucket lists to be able to do all of them in our allotted time. To give you some ideas:
We visited Cancun 2 years ago - flew in for a week, went to Chichen Itza with a small early morning tour, visited Tulum on our own.
We went to Alaska last year - again flew in, no cruise. Went on an all-day glacier cruise, went into Denali National Park to see wildlife and 'the Mountain', and even made it up to Fairbanks and the Santa Clause house in North Pole.

Been to Acadia (Bar Harbor) a couple of times because its just a 5 hour drive for us. Good place if you want to see some natural sites and have some easy hiking/kayaking and relaxation time. You could also consider a visit to Acadia and the White Mountains of New Hampshire and/or the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Been to:
Prince Edward Island, another relaxing area.
Shenandoah Nat'l Park and the whole Virginia valley area is great, been there twice, one time combining with a Washington DC visit.
Mammoth Caves/Lousiville/Lexington, Kentucky and a day trip to Nashville squeezed in.
Toronto and Niagara Falls
Calgary and Banff, Alberta (Canadian Rockies)
My wife's been to China (a 1 week tour with her mother), Iceland (a short tour) and Paris (on her own for 5 days).

This year we're driving to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton for a week.
Next year, Bermuda for a winter (off-season) few days, and a driving vacation down to Nashville and Memphis.
In 2020 (my wife's 50th birthday treat) we're doing 2 weeks in England - a week in London, then a week outside the city including Bath and Wales.
After that, we've haven't finalized the when/where, but a partial 'Grand Loop' (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Page, Bryce and Zion) one year and a Yellowstone/Rushmore/Bad Lands loop - fly in, and drive both times - are being looked at.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

As to the cruise that does a Mayan site - possibly the Belize stop for that? Don't do it from Cozumel or Cancun - you will hustled in buses (enough for the thousand people on your cruise selecting this excursion) to the site and led around in huge packs quickly in the high heat of mid day. Doesn't matter if its Tulum, Chichen Itza (biggest site), Coba or Ek Balaam, its not the ideal way to see the Mexican ruins. I can't comment on Belize, that's still on my bucket list.

Interesting. I imagine that it would probably be from Cozumel - which is probably why I'm not too enamored with the selection of cruise. We went there once before and when I think of the term "tourist trap" that's pretty much what I think of. I much prefer eastern Caribbean cruises (particularly port calls to Dutch islands which are cleaner IMO and departing from San Juan instead of Miami) but my wife is under the distinct impression that they are still cleaning up from last season's storms.

As for Belize, IIRC it's at a private island owned by the cruise line (Norwegian) so day excursions are probably not going to be possible.

[Pura Vida]

Mikebmusic, we visited NS and Cape Breton several years ago. Beautiful and rustic, but did some nice hiking there.

Neil, Napa is nice (it's just over an hour away) and another reason to fly into this side of the Sierra on a Tahoe excursion. We went to Cancun last month, and while the resort was beautiful, we were put off by the pushiness of the tourist area (made us appreciate CR even more).

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

Interesting. I imagine that it would probably be from Cozumel - which is probably why I'm not too enamored with the selection of cruise. We went there once before and when I think of the term "tourist trap" that's pretty much what I think of. I much prefer eastern Caribbean cruises (particularly port calls to Dutch islands which are cleaner IMO and departing from San Juan instead of Miami) but my wife is under the distinct impression that they are still cleaning up from last season's storms.

As for Belize, IIRC it's at a private island owned by the cruise line (Norwegian) so day excursions are probably not going to be possible.

My wife and I took an excursion to the Mayan ruins in Belize. We had a great time. It was an all day affair that gave us a guided tour of good bit of the country itself from Belize City to the ruins at the border with Guatemala. The bus ride was enjoyable with about 60 other people from the cruise. The ruins themselves were incredible with surprisingly few tourists present. Very different from the trip to the Mayan ruins in Mexico which we did a couple years later. Very crowded/hurried/commercialized.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

Interesting. I imagine that it would probably be from Cozumel - which is probably why I'm not too enamored with the selection of cruise. We went there once before and when I think of the term "tourist trap" that's pretty much what I think of. I much prefer eastern Caribbean cruises (particularly port calls to Dutch islands which are cleaner IMO and departing from San Juan instead of Miami) but my wife is under the distinct impression that they are still cleaning up from last season's storms.

As for Belize, IIRC it's at a private island owned by the cruise line (Norwegian) so day excursions are probably not going to be possible.

We're at planning what's become our annual ocean trip and I found one of the sites for travel agents updates the state of islands and recovery. A friend recently visited one of the islands that had a little damage and said it was not much of an issue for his interests but they might not be yours - diving and romance.

I can't stand the idea of a cruise or a non-cruise where you don't have much independence or a trip where you have to pay a guide unless it's something like a lift ticket or dive boat. That said, I do know some who were hooked on cruises who changed it up and did the rent a house or villa thing we do and they loved it.

Send a private message if the go on your own is of interest. With so many visits to one place I can let you know rental agents, tips on cars, waypoints for great day trips, where to shop, who to see at fish market, also a local fisherman who will take you in his little boat or deliver. Add one of the few farmers on the island and where his better than the rest stuff is sold when in season.

As much as you're getting me to think of other trips and we'll do one in US thus summer I cannot wait for the same 1 or 2 places I know will have a week or two of ocean breeze through the bedroom and the cooking we can't really replicate at home.

[PorkPieGuy]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

- she has expressed a desire to take our youngest son up to Niagara Falls in the summer.

[lowrider]

I know I'm late to the party but I want to second going to Hawaii. Your wife said Taho is too far but Hawaii is worth the flight time. From Waikiki to Maui to the Big Island, Hawaii is everything they say it is. You could go to the St Regis on Kauai and be pampered to death and even have your own butler or you could rent a condo in Haleiwa and catch the tail end of big wave season in the cool little beach-side town that's the epi-center for surfing worldwide.

If you've never been there, suggest Hawaii and watch her eyes light up.

(while your there, you can check out Pono guitars, just down the street from my house)

[Tahitijack]

American Cruislines either the New England or Columbia and Snake Rivers. Although it is a long way from you, the Pacific Northwest cruise follows the Lewis and Clark path. Might be a good learning adventure for the kids.